Australian start-up Samsara Eco has enzymatically recycled polyester which athletic apparel brand Lululemon has turned into samples of its limited edition Packable Anorak jacket. The jacket is made from a variety of inputs, including mixed plastic waste, lululemon apparel at the end-of-life stage, and converted carbon emissions.
Samsara Eco’s low-temperature depolymerisation process uses a combination of biophysics, chemistry, biology, and computer science to create plastic-eating enzymes. The enzymes are optimised to efficiently recycle PET, polyester, and nylon 66 at scale. The process can handle a variety of blended fabric and mixed bale feedstocks including poly/cotton and nylon/elastane blends, carpet fibres, zip ties, and airbags.
Polyester is the most widely used fibre worldwide, accounting for around 80% of the synthetic fibre market and equating to over 63 million tonnes made each year. However, only 13% of textile waste is currently recycled, and only 1% is recycled fibre-to-fibre. Separate collection of textile waste will be mandatory in Europe from January 1, 2025. By 2030, the European Union intends to require textiles to contain a minimum percentage of recycled fibres.
Samsara Eco’s partnership with lululemon has also resulted in the world’s first enzymatically recycled polyamide 66 (PA66) apparel hitting the market in February this year.
“Our vision is to scale these technologies to address textile waste across our entire supply chain,” said Yogendra Dandapure, vice president, raw materials innovation at lululemon. “This capsule product is a first step along this journey, helping us test and learn as we continue to advance circularity, which signals exciting possibilities for all industries looking to shift to more circular models,” he added.
The plastics industry has recently started to give steps towards a circular economy for textiles. The Alliance of Chemical Textile Recycling (ACTR) was formed in September 2023. Companies like BASF and Carbios have developed technologies to recycle PA6 and PET fibres, respectively. Celanese has developed a recyclable fibre to replace elastane in stretch fabrics.
